Alador Blight was watching the BATTs camp biting his tongue. He was hidden in the middle of some bushes, completely impossible to notice thanks to the clothes he was wearing: even if they looked like a simple jacket and a scarf that hid his face, they were actually a special outfit of his invention, which thanks to a system of microscopic mirrors reflected the moon's light, directing it so that it appeared darker to an outside observer and therefore less identifiable. Thanks to that disguise and the fact that he had a certain ability to remain silent, he had been able to approach the camp without being detected by the sentries.

After he heard his children and that fairy talk about the presence of a djinn capable of granting wishes, he immediately understood that that was once in a lifetime chance. Perhaps if he had taken possession of the lamp he could have corrected that mistake he had made years before, or at least he could have changed the memories of many people. He was in no hurry to make plans: he was a scientist, and as such he knew that the best thing to do was to first find out what powers that djinn, Darius, possessed and then evaluate what was the best wish to express in order to have what he wanted. He could finally have a happy life, or at least a better one than the one he was currently leading... and maybe he could avoid... that. So he went out and quickly headed to the BATTs camp, intending to carry out the theft.

However, when he arrived it was immediately clear to him that something was wrong: the place was in fact full of bad guys who were clearly imprisoning people. So he crouched on the ground and watched. Just then an explosion had occurred nearby, and he had clearly felt the shock wave hit him, if only from the displacement of air. What could have caused that explosion? But shortly thereafter the strange individuals who had taken over the camp had reunited and brought with them three kids, and he recognized Amity's friends among them. It hadn't been difficult for him to put two and two together and understand from the way they were treating him that the person who caused the explosion must have been the only boy present there, who was also the same one who had pointed a magic staff at his wife; from the looks of it, he was tougher than he had imagined.

Then, the situation quickly escalated: an immense light was emitted and pointed to a distant area, and the Titan Trappers charged. Alador was immediately struck by concern: the indicated area seemed to be the place where the Owl House was located, where his children were taking Lilith. Something told him they were in danger. He had tried to get ahead of the Titan Trappers, but they were running too much faster than him and it soon became clear that he would never get there in time; so, he had changed his plan and decided to prepare to save his children in case they were taken prisoner... hoping that those guys would only take them prisoner, but since they hadn't hurt the other kids, Alador was confident that he would be that was the case... or at least he hoped so. So he returned to his laboratory in a hurry, collected every invention that could be useful to him, placed them on a special cart surmounted by a balloon inflated with a lot of helium which raised it slightly allowing it to float and therefore to transport heavy loads without effort since all that whoever was pulling him had to do was hold on to the rope and guide him, and then he was back at camp. And once he arrived he clearly saw his children being dragged into it like prisoners, along with many other people.

It was now clear that they were in danger, he couldn't deny it anymore, and he also couldn't waste time anymore. Alador lightly shook the collar of his coat and from underneath it took out a pendant with a wonderful pink drop-shaped stone. He turned it slightly in his hands and it seemed to pulsate with a life of its own. "Odalia? Odalia! Can you hear me?"

That was a magical jewel that his wife had given him with the aim of warning her in case something serious happened while she was not present. He had only used it about ten times in his life, almost always for something the twins had caused; after all, having curious children and a house full of dangerous inventions and magical objects wasn't exactly a perfect combination, and sometimes his wife's intervention had proved providential so that the twins still had all their bones in the same place. However, there were also a couple of times when it didn't work well: when his wife was in an area particularly rich in magic, it created interference in the connection... and unfortunately that night was one of those cases, and only buzzes emerged from the pendant. "Damn it! Why was she supposed to go to Mirkwood today!?" Alador growled angrily, then he swung the jewel and activated a recording spell, and he left her a message: "Odalia, I need you. The kids are in danger. When you hear this message, come to the camp of the BATTs, the group of bards who arrived in town the other day. In the meantime I will do what I can" and having said that he hid the jewel in his coat.

But now what could he do?

He wasn't a warrior, he wasn't even an expert in tactics, he was just a scientist. Sure, when he was young he had occasionally participated in soome street fights, but he had no idea how to organize an escape. And he certainly couldn't fight all those enemies alone. And even calling the authorities was out of the question: if he had done so, they would probably have attacked the camp and his children could easily have been involved in the confrontation. After all, Bonesborough authorities were not known for worrying about collateral losses when there was a fanatical cult nearby; and given the number of fanatics present, Alador knew that a battle would be impossible to avoid. And besides, the fanatics had the powers of a djinn and who knows what else on their side, which put them in an absolutely advantageous situation.

No, it had to involve as few people as possible. He needed someone who could study an escape plan, who was expert in that field, or... or at least who was expert in a similar field... for example, someone who could study sports tactics in a group game...

Enlightenment came to him in a short time. He hadn't seen that person among the prisoners, so it was logical to assume that she hadn't been involved; he didn't know how morally acceptable it was to involve and rely on a young girl, but he didn't have many options at the moment. So he quickly ran into the town and reached a house, and after taking aim he threw some stones at the window. It didn't take long before it swung open and a magenta-haired girl appeared on the small balcony; Alador noticed that in her hair there was a mouse busy purring. "Ugh... who the heck is at this time of the..." Boscha stopped when she saw him. "YOU!"

Without even waiting for an explanation, the girl grabbed onto the gutter and went down to the street practically in her pajamas, and as soon as she was in front of Alador she gave him a powerful punch in the stomach. The man fell to the ground gasping, feeling his breath cut off; it was incredible how much strength that girl possessed. "I've wanted to do this ever since that night. That is for what you said to Amity, you asshole" Boscha hissed with clear fury in her voice. "You're a shitty father, let me say it to your face. I hope you're ready to obtain a couple of black eyes, because I'm about to..."

"Ugh... now's not the time!" Alador exclaimed. "Edric and Emira... and Amity too... are in danger!"

Boscha stopped, fortunately since she looked like she was serious about smashing the man's face, and she looked worried. "What do you mean they are in danger?"

"I'll explain it to you along the way. And put this on, it will help you hide better" Alador told her handing her a coat similar to the one he was wearing, although a little different; fortunately he was a serial hoarder and had never thrown away any prototype of his inventions, even the apparently useless ones.

Boscha took it and put it on over her pajamas. "Okay. Let's go, before my parents wake up"

"Don't you want to leave it here?" Alador asked her, pointing to the mouse on her head, which had woken up in the meantime.

Boscha seemed to realize its presence only then. "Echo! Are you sleeping in my hair again!?" she exclaimed in disappointment, but then shrugged. "It's okay. Instead, go down and go back to my room"

"Don't even think about it, young mistress. I'm coming with you" the mouse replied. "I won't leave you alone if you could put yourself in danger. And if you need to help someone, then you could use a ventriloquist"

Boscha was about to reply, clearly not liking her pet mouse following her into what was clearly something dangerous, but then she noticed his determined look and let out a sigh. "Okay. But stay close to me and don't do your own thing!"

Alador raised an eyebrow. "Is your mouse a ventriloquist?"

"You have two witches as wife and daughter and you're surprised by a ventriloquist rat?" Boscha asked back.

This answer was quite exhaustive and Alador didn't ask any further questions; the two of them quickly returned to the BATTs' camp and he explained the situation to Boscha. When they arrived, they could see that the Titan Trappers were setting up an altar. "It's not going well here" Boscha muttered to herself. "Can't you call your wife? Isn't she a super-powerful witch? We really need some magical power right now"

"Odalia is in Mirkwood at the moment, and due to the too much magic there I can't contact her. I left her a message, as soon as she gets out of there she will see it" Alador replied. "We must at least try to gain time. I preferred not to involve the town guard..."

"The town guard are clumsy, they don't get a thing right. The less they interfere, the better" Boscha anticipated him, showing him that she too had very little faith in the Bonesborough's authorities, then her expression became thoughtful. "So, what to do... ok, let's look at it as if it were a rugby match... I'm here, and all the opponents are between me and my teammates, who are stuck in one corner of the field... our opponents form a barrier around them to prevent them from escaping, and they are more skilled and stronger than us... what would I do...?". She thought about it carefully for a moment, then she clapped her hands: "Of course! The best way to free them would be to cause a diversion first, and take advantage of that one moment of confusion to attack from the outside and create a breach, and once the ridge breach to free my companions and then guide them towards the submission of the opponents! And to create a diversion... the best thing would be to cause discord within the opposing formation... I could make my strongest teammate free himself even for a moment and unleash chaos...". Boscha continued to mutter to herself for a while, then she said: "I have a plan"

Alador smiled; it seemed like he had chosen the right person to ask for help. "What does this plan consist of?"

"From what I see, my friends are being held in three separate tents. Hunter is in one, King is in another, and everyone else is in yet another. Evidently the Titan Trappers only consider the first two dangerous, because there is less surveillance in the third tent. Which means I can send a messenger there". Boscha said, then she looked at Echo: "Do you feel like going there?"

"Tsk! As I'm afraid of some big guys with a skull for a brain" the mouse muttered. It really seemed like he had the same personality as her mistress; it was indeed true that the animals ended up resembling those who cared for them. "Just tell me what I have to communicate them"

"Perfect. You will have to bring them my message and then you will hide in their clothes and gnaw their ropes one by one. If you don't have enough time available, first free the Palismen and the two fairies, who can fight very well... but given the speed with which you chew the cheese I think you will be able to free everyone" Boscha replied. "We just need to create a diversion to distract the guards... and here I think we could use Hunter"

"The blond boy?" Alador asked. "Just now I think he caused an explosion..."

"Yes, trust me, he's a real war machine. I've seen him fight and even play rugby: even if he's unarmed, he'll punch those assholes very badly" Boscha said. "He will be the perfect diversion... while he distracts all the Titan Trappers, the others can escape. We will wait for them behind the main tent"

"And then we will escape?" Alador asked, expecting an affirmative answer.

But on the contrary Boscha shook his head vehemently: "Of course not! We'll arm them and then we'll charge back! You don't want to leave Hunter and King there alone, I hope!"

Alador's silence confirmed her thoughts. An expression of disgust came across Boscha's face. "I can't believe this... let me tell you, you really are a shitty man. I'm a bitch and proud of it, but I've never thought for an instant of abandoning someone in danger, even if the thought of having to fight terrifies me. I hope at least that your list of people to save had not just two names but also a third"

Alador knew what Boscha was referring to, and he said nothing. The magenta-haired girl's eyelids trembled visibly, and for a moment she seemed intent on throwing another punch, but then her attention was caught by what was happening at the camp: the Titan Trappers were getting agitated and had entered the tent where he was being held prisoner. Hunter, and now they were dragging him out and putting him on his knees. "Damn, time is running out! Hey, why is Raine there with them? What about Darius?" she asked only then realizing that two of the people who were supposed to be on their side were following the orders of the Titan Trappers. "Ah, it doesn't matter! You, tell me immediately if among all this junk you have something that can free him!"

Alador looked at the pile of objects he had brought, and then he picked up a strange ball no more than a few centimeters thick. "This could work" he said; he threw it to the ground, and as soon as it hit the ground it changed and sharp blades emerged from every direction. "It is a mechanical device that is activated thanks to the impact force. Practically when it hits something the microscopic shock wave that is generated presses on the ball and pushes the internal mechanism, activating it"

"How much force does it take?" Boscha asked.

"Very little. In fact, you should know that, based on what I have discovered after years and years of studies, every action corresponds to an equal and opposite reaction, and the mechanism I installed is so small that even just dropping it generates enough force" Alador answered, then he looked at Hunter. "From what I see, your friend is tied via a specific knot system that doesn't have one main weak point... but has several microscopic ones. Ingenious: instead of channeling all the resistance of the knot into one point, they distributed it into various areas. But these areas are not too far away, so just hitting Hunter exactly at the base of the shoulders will start a chain reaction that will free him. However, some blades could stick in the flesh..."

"First of all, speak less difficult because I understood one word out of five. And second, don't worry about the pain, Hunter has a strong temper. He won't worry about a cut" Boscha said; she had never seen Hunter get hurt, but given the resistance he had shown she was pretty sure he would have endured that little pain without even flinching. "I can throw the ball, I'm a rugby champion and I have a good aim. But as long as there are all those Titan Trappers around him it will be a problem... we have to distract them even for a moment". She was trying to find a solution, but time was running out; so in the end she decided to trust her friends. After all, in sport you had to rely on teamwork. So she whispered a few words to Echo, and the mouse immediately ran away.

Alador and Boscha ran behind the large central tent, trying to make as little noise as possible; the magenta-haired girl lurked there, ready to use the first opportunity to throw the special ball and free Hunter, and hoped that her friends would be able to invent a good way to distract the Titan Trappers. Even just an instant would have been enough: she couldn't miss the target at that distance. "I'll prepare the weapons" Alador said starting to tinker with his inventions; many of them were so absurd that Boscha couldn't even understand how they should be held.

For a few minutes, nothing changed; Boscha kept her eyes and ears wide open, even though listening to the ravings of the fanatic leader made her brain bleed. But suddenly she heard Luz's voice: "Sorry, but why don't you use Raine?"

"Huh? What's that puppet doing?" Boscha muttered to herself, and she listened very carefully to the conversation. The more she heard it, the more a doubt made its way into her mind... and when she heard: "You should have your ears plugged so you don't cry!" she finally understood what Luz's plan was. When she realized it she couldn't help but giggle: "Ah, Luz... you're such a sneaky little puppet" she whispered, then she took some dirt and stuck it in her ears.

She didn't know what happened next: with her ears blocked, it was as if the world had gone silent for her. However, she could clearly see the Titan Trappers becoming more attentive with each passing second, until they seemed completely mesmerized by what they were hearing; Alador, next to her, had also stopped and was staring into space with a lost look, as if he were listening to the choir of angels. Boscha waited until she was completely sure that none of the Titan Trappers were actually paying attention to watching Hunter anymore, and just then she took aim and threw the ball; it crossed the entire distance in just a couple of seconds and hit exactly the base of the boy's shoulders, where it was filled with sharp blades that cut the ropes; Hunter's eyes widened slightly, but he refrained from letting out any groans, and instead he took on a determined look and nodded his head imperceptibly, as if he was saying: "I got it, leave it to me"

Boscha held the dirt in her ears until the people she was watching seemed hypnotized, then when they finally began to move again as if they had come out of their trance she assumed that Raine had finished their performance and so she finally took it off and returned to hearing normally. She didn't know what the bard had sung about, but judging by the fact that the fanatical warriors and even Alador beside her had tears in their eyes, it must have been something poignant indeed. "Dry your face, old man" she said to Alador. "We'll have to start the party soon!"

And in fact Hunter didn't waste any further time: he got up and, after punching the Titan Trappers closest to him and who should have (underlining 'should have') guarded him, he let out a war cry and immediately brought attention to himself. The Titan Trappers charged at him, but Hunter, although moved by Raine's music, didn't allow himself to be completely hypnotized and after being freed while the bard continued to play he used the blood that dripped from the wounds in his back to draw some seals on his hands; as soon as he activated them, he released a strong light that blinded his enemies, and Flapjack took advantage of this to fly into his hands and turn into a magic wand; Hunter then used the incredible speed he gave him and moved lightning-fast until he reached the pole on which his staff was stuck, and he took his weapon back.

"Good, now he'll be able to survive on his own, at least for a while" Boscha said. Although she wasn't sure Hunter could win against all those enemies, he certainly could fight well and last a long time. "Where are the others?"

She didn't have to wait long: her friends appeared behind the large central curtain shortly after. "Finally, here you are!" she exclaimed with strong relief in her heart. She only then noticed that Eda and Lilith each had one arm covered in feathers, but she preferred not to waste time asking questions. She quickly checked that her friends hadn't been hurt, and they were; it was lucky, she had imagined a lot of very unpleasant scenarios, and she was afraid of seeing them again with scarred faces or without a limb, especially Skara. "Quick, get a weapon! We must act while they are still confused and disorganized!"

"Where did you get this stuff?" Amity asked her.

Boscha bit her lip. She could imagine the reaction her friends would have. "He gave them to me" she said, pointing to Alador, who finally showed himself.

Amity, Edric and Emira opened their eyes and mouths in amazement. "DAD!?"

"Hi, kids. You and I are going to have a talk about being safe and not going out at night as soon as we get home" Alador said. "Now let's get busy. Take these!"

The man threw strange objects into each of their hands: they looked like tubes that ended in a snail shape. "What are they?" Luz asked.

"I called them 'shooter nets'. They throw a net at a speed of about one hundred meters per second and it works up to a radius of fifty meters. The net opens up and envelops anything it touches on impact, and is specially built to be almost indestructible. Observe" Alador explained, and after aiming at a nearby tree he lightly pressed a knob and a net emerged from the tube, so fast that no one could see it, and wrapped itself around the trunk like an octopus. "I invented them with the aim of replacing conventional weapons, so as to reduce the number of deaths in war or in other contexts where weapons are a must"

"Wow... that's cool!" Edric exclaimed with a toothy grin. "Damn, you should have told us about this stuff before! I already know how to use it right..."

"How many times can they shoot?" Amity interrupted, preferring to focus on the important things.

For a moment there was silence. Alador seemed somewhat undecided whether to speak, and therefore speak to his daughter for the first time without her threatening him, or ignore her as usual. Amity felt anger fill her heart and was already almost thinking of using the shooter nets on her father, or at least slamming it on his head... but then Alador broke the silence and replied: "Each of you has five shots. Which given that there are... ten of us, no, seven since three are arthropods... so they are equivalent to thirty-five"

"Well, considering Hunter will put many of the Titan Trappers to sleep on his own, that's enough!" Boscha exclaimed. "Guys, it's like rugby! It's a team game! At the moment the opposing team is focused on just one element, namely Hunter..."

"King is here too" Luz informed her. "They are fighting together"

"What? What does that young Titan think he's doing?" Boscha said confused.

"I know it sounds crazy, but trust me, he's much more powerful than we imagined" Amity explained to her. "Let's not waste time. Continue"

Boscha would have gladly asked more questions, but she decided to listen to her friend and focused on the most pressing problem at the moment: "Okay. So, the opponents are focused on Hunter, so they are leaving their backs exposed. We can take advantage of this to attack them from behind"

"Exactly, as if it were a defensive formation!" Willow exclaimed. "However, we should take into account the possibility of the opponents regrouping... aim for the most dangerous elements, namely the archers!"

"Yes, they have long range attacks, you're right!" Boscha said. "Once we eliminate them we should instead target those with the heaviest weapons, namely the halberdiers and swordsmen..."

"It would be advisable to divide the formation to be able to launch a further counterattack in the event of an opponent's recovery" Willow continued. "Let's divide ourselves into two teams: the first eliminates the archers and then hits anyone who manages to hit, and then retreats as soon as things get dangerous; the second team will intervene as soon as the enemy team regroups, and will hit the bigger players, who by falling they will create confusion among the opposing ranks, and Gus, Matt and I will take advantage of our small size to get among them and make even more chaos, and at that point the first team also returns to the field and all together we eliminate the remaining ones... "

"... all while Hunter and King continue to weaken the opposing team from the inside!" Boscha concluded, and then she raised her hand as if she wanted to give her a high five: "Excellent idea, 'captain'!"

Unlike the other times Willow didn't blush, but instead puffed out her chest with vigor and pride, and she flew towards Boscha's hand and hit it with one of her little paws; then she turned to the others and in a determined voice exclaimed: "Come on, team! Let's go kick those fanatics' asses!"

"Language" Lilith muttered, though she did so so casually that even she ignored it.

Luz tightened her grip on her weapon. "Well... let's go, I want to leave those assholes who hurt King in the dust!"

"And Hunter" Willow reminded her in a sour voice.

"Hey, that's your Prince Charming! It's up to you to be a heroine and save him" Luz replied back, making everyone giggle. Even in that dangerous situation, the puppet was able to lift spirits with just a few words. "Let's go give them a good lesson!"

"Anyone comment on Lilith just saying 'language'?" Eda asked with a small smirk.

Lilith sighed deeply. "She will never let me hear the end of it" she murmured to herself.

The weapons that Alador gives to the protagonists are practically a non-magic and more technological version (since in this AU Alador didn't have magical powers) of the Abomination cannons shown in the second episode of the second season. The stone with which he communicates with Odalia is also a reference to that episode, since it is the same one with which Odalia and Amity communicate without using their voices